Rated PG (Sustained Sequences of Sci-Fi
Action/Violence)
Running Time: 2 Hours & 22 Minutes
Cast:
Ewan McGregor-Obi-Wan Kenobi
Natalie Portman-Senator Padmé Naberrie
Amidala
Hayden Christensen-Anakin Skywalker
Ian McDiarmid-Supreme Chancellor Palpatine
Christopher Lee-Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus
Temuera Morrison-Jango Fett
Anthony Daniels-C-3PO
Kenny Baker-R2-D2
Frank Oz (voice)-Yoda
Samuel L. Jackson-Mace Windu
Jimmy Smits-Senator Bail Organa
Pernilla August-Shmi Skywalker
Silas Carson-Viceroy Nute
Gunray/Ki-Adi-Mundi
Daniel Logan-Boba Fett
Jack Thompson-Cliegg Lars
Joel Edgerton-Owen Lars
Bonnie Maree Piesse-Beru Whitesun
Ahmed Best (voice)-Jar Jar Binks
Directed by George Lucas
 |
| *Sigh* If only you kept it in your pants, Anakin. |
“A Jedi shall not know anger, nor hatred,
nor love.” This statement is what defines “Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of
the Clones,” the second part in the prequel trilogy that chronicles the birth
of Darth Vader, one of the greatest villains in American cinema history. After
the negative backlash of 1999's Episode I, George Lucas had some help this time
around with writing duties but while most people felt that it was improvement
over its predecessor, it was only marginal. For me, this is my least favorite
“Star Wars” film and much of it is due to the slow pacing that it almost
becomes a drag. Lucas once again ups the ante in terms of special effects with
the film closing with a massive battle and a kick-ass lightsaber duel involving
Yoda but the sweeping epic romance that was promised falls flat due to the
terrible dialogue, which resembles badly written Shakespeare. It’s a more
serious film that does away with Episode I’s problems but also introduces
several new ones.
Ten years after the events of Episode I,
the Old Republic is in turmoil when a separatist movement gathers strength due
to the machinations of a mysterious former Jedi named Count Dooku (Christopher
Lee). This turn of events prompts the Galactic Senate to create an army in the
event the separatists decide to spark a war. Formerly the queen of Naboo,
Senator Padmé Amidala (Natalie Portman) returns to the capital world of
Coruscant to vote against creating this army as she hopes to find a diplomatic
solution. However, when her cruiser lands, a bomb goes off that destroys the
ship and takes the life of her decoy. Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian
McDiarmid) requests that the Jedi Council assign Master Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan
McGregor) and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) to protect
her. Another assassination attempt is made on Amidala’s life later that night
and the two Jedi give chase. However, the assassin is killed by an armored
bounty hunter before they can learn anything useful. The Council decides to
send Obi-Wan to find this assailant while Anakin will continue to protect the
senator on Naboo. Despite being bound to the code of the Jedi, Anakin finds
that he cannot resist Padmé any longer and declares his love for her. Although
she initially rejects him, the two slowly begin to fall in love. Meanwhile,
Obi-Wan tracks the bounty hunter to the Outer Rim planet Kamino, where he
learns that they are creating a clone army for the Republic using the DNA of
one Jango Fett (Temuera Morrison) at the request of a deceased Jedi Master
named Sifo-Dyas. Continuing his investigation, he soon learns that the Trade
Federation is working with Dooku and with their massive droid army, wish to
spark a war. Anakin begins to suffer nightmares of his mother in pain and
against his orders, returns to his home planet of Tatooine. Things take a turn
for the worse when the Separatists and the Republic finally battle on Geonosis,
sparking the Clone Wars.
While “The Phantom Menace” successfully
sets up the plotlines that would be resolved by Episode VI, many found the film
too focused on comedic elements to draw in younger audiences, much to the
chagrin of older fans. Jar Jar Binks was a very annoying character so rejoice
that he has very limited screen-time here! Although Lucas took the criticism of
Episode I to heart, he created a new set of problems. “Attack of the Clones”
suffers from a languidly slow pace after the first thirty minutes, devoting
itself to the growing romance between Anakin and Padmé. I never thought I would
say this for a “Star Wars” film but it came dangerously close to being boring.
We’re constantly told that they're in love but we don’t feel it and this can be
attributed to the terrible dialogue and its stiff delivery, especially the
fireplace scene when Anakin professes his feelings. It reads like a poor man’s
Shakespeare. Lucas also tends to use the same camera angles during dialogue
scenes. Being the middle chapter, Episode II shares some motifs with “The
Empire Strikes Back” where events take a dark turn once the Republic decides to
implement the Clone Troopers, wearing armor that are precursors to the
Stormtroopers in the original trilogy. Palpatine’s rise to power is similar to
Adolf Hitler where he is granted emergency powers to deal with the crisis
involving the Separatists. The technology is also catching up as we also see
pre-Star Destroyers with the familiar triangular shape and finally, there’s a
holographic blueprint of the Death Star. Lucas also recreates the Lars
homestead and it looks just like it did in “A New Hope.” The story finally
picks up speed in the final forty minutes where we’re treated to a massive
battle between the outnumbered Jedi and Separatist Droid Army and later, with
the Clone Army of the Republic. This battle scene, along with the subsequent
duel between Yoda and Dooku is what saves Episode II. “Attack of the Clones” is
a darker film but it inherits the same flaw from its predecessor with the
visuals once again overwhelm the story, which keeps us from being emotionally
invested in what the characters are going through.
There is some slight improvement with the
acting but Hayden Christensen makes for a rather petulant Anakin Skywalker. He
succeeds in showing that he is a fast learner and wise beyond his years, but he
comes off as a whiny child when throwing his temper tantrums, frequently
yelling, ‘It’s not fair!’ Still, we can see the darkness building up in him and
his inability to let his loved ones go will prove to be his undoing. His heart
is in the right place but he cannot accept the fact that all living things will
eventually die. He also exhibits a slight arrogance in his behavior as he
believes Jedi are above regular people. This time around Natalie Portman
doesn’t sport a British accent and is a bit more assertive. She still comes off
as a little bland, which doesn’t help in making the romance convincing but at
least she gets to wear some exquisite costumes that reveal a little skin. Ewan
McGregor now gets to do more as Obi-Wan instead of standing around waving his
lightsaber. He acts as both surrogate father and teacher to Anakin, trying to
teach his young apprentice more patience and be less reckless. Ian McDiarmid is
back as Supreme Chancellor Palpatine and there is this scene where he subtly
drops hints on events to come involving Anakin’s fall. Christopher Lee is Count
Dooku but due to his limited screen-time, he doesn’t make much of an impression
beyond his lightsaber duel with Yoda.
Once again the visual effects prove to be
the high point of the film and there’s so much CG that it borders on the
ridiculous. By the thirty minute mark, we’re treated to a high speed chase
through the skies of Coruscant and midway, Obi-Wan and Jango Fett battle in the
rain soaked hanger on Kamino. Finally, all hell literally breaks loose when
Mace Windu and his team of Jedi Knights battle the massive droid army of the
Separatists, buying time for Yoda and the Clone Army to arrive. The lightsaber
duel between Obi-Wan, Anakin and Count Dooku is nothing special but that
changed once Yoda finally arrived and proved once and for all why he is the
most badass Jedi! Although the film received a nomination at the 2003 Academy
Awards for Best Visual Effects, it lost to “The Lord of the Rings: The Two
Towers.” You’ll also notice that the picture looks a lot sharper since it was
filmed with high definition cameras. John Williams once again delivers a
masterful score with a sweeping romantic theme called Across the Stars; I just wish the actual romance was as good as the
music that accompanied it and he closes the film with Darth Vader’s theme
playing full blast as Palpatine looks on at his Clone Army. He also subtly
inserts this theme when Anakin is overcome with anger and hatred.
“Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the
Clones” was released on May 16, 2002 (with a limited, re-edited IMAX run in
November due to technical limitations) and made $80 million during opening
weekend, which was overshadowed by “Spider-Man,” which made $115 in three days.
Critical reception was mixed with 66% on Rotten Tomatoes with much of the
dialogue labeled as stiff or lifeless. The film grossed $310 million domestic
and $649 million worldwide, much less than “The Phantom Menace.” It was overshadowed
by “Spider-Man” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” both of which
received better reviews and it wasn’t the highest grossing film in its year of
release. “Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones” helps move the overall
plot forward and sets the stage for Episode III but while Lucas worked hard to
fix many of the problems in Episode I, new ones are introduced as it is bogged
down by a slow pace that threatens to derail the film and cringe-inducing
dialogue for the romantic aspects. There are still rousing lightsaber battles
and awe-inducing special effects but this is certainly not “Star Wars” at its
best.
Final Rating: 3 out of 5
"Victory? Victory you say? Master
Obi-Wan, not victory. The shroud of the dark side has fallen. Begun the Clone
War has."
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